Loop-taker-operating mechanism for sewing-machines.



No; 665,030. Patented Ian. I, l90l.

' F. W. OSTBOM. LOOP TAKER OPEBAT ING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

' (A ximicn Med Feb. 21,1900.

3 Sheets-Shoot (No Model.)

m VENTOI? A HORNE)- No. 665,030. Patented Jan. I, 19:. F. w. OSTROM. LOOP TAKEB OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

(Application Med Feb. Q1, 1900.) 4

3 Sheatv-Shoet, -2.

(No Modal.)

r //v VENTOI? WITNESSES l ATTORNEY 1n: NORRIS PETERS coy, wm'uumu \nsmun'rcvw, o. c.

' No. 665,030. Patented Jan. I, I901.

. F. w; OSTROM. LOOP TAKEB- OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

- A umon filed Feb. 21, 1900.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

INVENTOFI WITNESSES ATTORNEY UNITED STATES,

ATENT "OFFICE.

FREELAND W. OSTROM, OF BRIDGEI ORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WHEELER & WILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LOOP-TAKER-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 665,030, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed February 21,1900. Serial No. 6 ,106. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known thatI, FREELAND W. OsTROM, a citizen of the United States,.residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide means for the convenient employment of cloth-holding clamps and cloth guiding and manipulating attachments in connection with loop-taking devices having cops or bobbins which haveto be removed and replaced vertically relatively to the plane of the clothplate; and to illustrate the application of my invention I have selected to combine it with the we1l-known.Wheeler & Wilson verticalhook sewing-machine.

The recent successful developments of vertical loop-taking devices have demanded in connection with their use the employment of numerous devices for controlling the production, such as buttonhole-sewing -machine cloth-holding clamps, plaiters, tucking devices, folders, hem mers, and other well-understood attachments which when operatively connected to the sewing-machine bed-plate or otherwise conveniently connected for properly presenting the material for the action of the needle make it impracticable to remove or to replace the cop or bobbin without detaching such attachment. A further use of my improved construction is in connection with the stitching of such materials as canvas of several plies, heavy or ornamental leather, and such other materials as it is undesirable to bend or deflect sufficiently to enable the cop or bobbin to be removed out of or replaced into operative relation with the hook or bobbin carrier.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is a perspective view'showing a portion of a sewing-machine bed-plate with myimproved construction mounted below the throat-plate and showing above the throat-plate one form of construction of buttonhole-sewing-machine cloth-holding clamp. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the loop-taker,

bobbin, and loop-taker-driving mechanism in elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the application of my improved construction employed in connection with the sewing of such materials as it is undesirable to remove from under the needle or impracticable to bend or deflect when it is desired for any purpose to remove or to replace the bobbin or cop. I

The bed-plate A, its driving-shafts a and a, the gear-pinions a a the throat-plate of, the slide-plates a and a, (the latter shown in dottedlines, Fig. 3,) the overhanging arm 0, with its take-up o, the needle-bar 0 with its needle 0 the resser-bar 0 with its presser-foot 0 the tension 0 thread-controller 0 the loop-taker B, with its bobbin 1), and the bevel-gears b b are in construction and operation common to the well-known Wheeler 85 Wilson vertical-hook sewing-machine and are herein shown to illustrate practically the application of my invention.

The construction of the cloth holding and feeding clamp D (illustratedin Fig. 1) is the same as is commonly employed in connection with the well-known Wheeler & Wilson automatic buttonhole-sewing machine, and the arrangement of the material-E (illustrated in Fig. 3) is such as is commonly employed in the manufacture of canvas belting, the illustrating of the clamp D and material E being herein used to demonstrate the utility of my improved construction when employed, as previously stated, in connection with the use of attachments or the stitching of material I the bobbin or cop when it is desired to remove or replace it relatively to its carrier.

The loop-taker is mounted in or upon a carriage G, which in my invention, as will presently appear, is slidable upon a support, so as to be capable of receiving the two positions indicated, respectively, by full and dotted lines in Fig. 2, and said carriage is capable also of ready removal entirely from the machine.- The various adjustments of this carriage will be understood from the following:

In the downwardly-projecting lug c of the bed-plate is adjustably secured a (tubular) bushing F, which serves as a support for the carriage G and is provided at its front end with an annular or circumferential stop-col lar f and distant from this annular stopcollar f sufficient to permit of the desired movement of the loop-taker B is an annular or circumferential groove f The bushing F is adjustably secured in the lug c by means of a screw-thread f on said bushing engaging a complemental screwthread in said lug, said bushing having a head f to receive a wrench or other device for rotatingit. Bysuch adjustmenttheloop-taker, its carriage, and adjuncts may be positioned toward or away from the needle, as may be demanded by the employment of needles of diifereut sizes and as might be required by the exigencies of assembling.

f is a catch'lever hinged at f to the carriage and having an angular portion or lipf which cooperates with the stop-collar f to arrest the movement of the carriage outwardly or away from the needle, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2, and which coacts with the groove f to retain the carriage and its looptaker in operative relation to the needle, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and full lines, Fig. 1.

Secured in the catch-lever f is an adjusting-screw f which ordinarily is adj ust-ed to prevent the angular portion f from being raised suificiently to clear the annular stopcollar f but, if desired, an outward adjustment of said screw will permit the angular portion f to be raised sufficiently to clear the stop-collar f permitting the loop-taker, its carriage, and the bevel-gears b to be removed and replaced without disturbing the relative adjustment of the coacting parts.

A spring f is located between the looptaker carriage B and the outer end of the spring catch-leverf to securely hold the angular portion f in the groove f when the loop-taker is in operative relation with the needle.

To insure a vertical retention of the carriage G, it is provided with a suitable guide 61*, which coacts with a slot (1 in the lug 0 as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 2 and partially shown in Figs. 1 and 3. It is evident that the downwardly-extended forked portion d of the carriage G might be employed through its connection with the annular recess (Z in the hub d of the gear 19 to hold the carriage in its vertical position without the employment of the bar 02 The employment of the latter is simply an added precaution for preventing any slight rotatory movement of the carriage upon its extended portion 61 acting as a fulcrum.

To operatively connect the loop-taker B with its driving-shaft a, the former is provided with a shaft (1*, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2,) carrying the bevel-gear b which meshes with the like bevel-gear b adj ustably secured to the driving-shaft a by a'suit-able spline d secured in the said gear 12 The spline d is adapted to slide in the groove (Z in the driving-shaft. The gear I) is provided with a hub (1 having an annular recess (1 into which extends a forked portion (1 of the loop-takercarriage Gfor the purpose of effecting a movement of the gear 12 without disturbing the relative action of the gears 11 b From the foregoing it will be understood that movement of the catch-lever f withdrawing the angular portion f from the annular groove f permits a movement of the loop-taker carriage and parts carried by it from under the overhanging attachments or materials and that a movement of the carriage in an opposite direction replaces the construction into unchanged operative relation with coacting parts, thereby effecting the object of the inventionnamely, so constructing the loop-taking mechanism that it may be manually adjusted into and out of operative relation with the needle to accommodate the employment of attachments and the sewing of materials otherwise objectionable to the extent not only of increasing the cost of productions, but materially affecting the quality of production.

What I claim is 1. In a sewing-machine, a stitch-forming mechanism, including a loop-taker having a vertical axis of rotation, a carriage upon which it is mounted, and a support for said carriage, said support adjustable longitudinally of the bed-plate of the sewing-machine, in combination with a catch-lever and coacting stop for retaining the loop-taker in operative relation with the needle, substantially as described.

2. In a sewing-machine, a stitch-forming mechanism, including a loop-taker having a vertical axis of rotation, a carriage upon which it is mounted, and a tubular support for said carriage, said support adj ustablysecured to the bed-plate of the sewing-machine, in combination with a catch-lever and coacting stops for limiting the movement of said carriage in opposite directions, substantially as described.

3. In a sewing-machine, a stitch-forming mechanism, includinga loop-taker, a suitable carriage upon which it is mounted, and a catch-lever on said carriage, in combination with a threaded tubular support for said carriage, a threaded bearing for said support, and circumferential stops on said support, substantially as described.

4:. In a sewing-machine, a main drivingshaft, a stitch-forming mechanism, including a loop'taker, a vertical shaft for said looptaker, a gear-wheel thereon, a suitable carriage upon which the loop-taker is mounted, a driving-gear for'said loop-taker on the main shaft, and a tubular support for said carriage, in combination with a catch-lever and a coacting circumferential stop collar and groove on the tubular support for limiting the movement of said loop-taker in opposite directions, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a sewing-machine,a stitch forming inechanism, including a loop-taker having a vertical axis of rotation, driving-gear for said loop-taker, a carriage upon which it is mounted, said carriage capable of movement in opposite directions, and connected with the driving-gear of the loop-taker to hold said gear inoperative relation with its complemental gear, in combination with a tubular support for said carriage, a bearing for said support, said support circumferentially threaded for its reception into its complementally threaded bearing, a catch lever mounted on the loop-taker carriage, and coacting circumferential stops to limit the movement of said carriage in opposite directions, substantially as described. 

